2017 NFL mock draft 1.0: Ryan Ramczyk in Round 1

2017 NFL mock draft 1.0: Ryan Ramczyk in Round 1

The 2017 NFL draft is still about two months away, but projecting what teams may do with their picks is always a fun process.

The Denver Broncos missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010, so John Elway and his staff are going to be hungry to improve the team and get back in the playoffs starting next year.

Of course, things will become more clear after we see what the team does in free agency, but even that is still a few weeks out.

So for now, I’m going to look at the six picks the Broncos currently have (the team is expected to be awarded more as compensatory picks, but we’ll get to that next time) and try to forecast what they might do with them.

1st Round: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsiin

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a mock draft that doesn’t have the Broncos selecting an offensive lineman with the No. 20 overall pick of the draft. This one won’t be any different.

I want to make it clear that I feel the Broncos should select O.J. Howard, the tight end out of Alabama, with this pick if he’s still there, no matter how badly they need offensive line help.

However, the offensive line struggled last season and the team will have a tough time finding help on the free-agent market. I do think Ryan Ramczyk could be gone by this time, but we’ll slot him here for now.

Ramczyk was as good as just about any left tackle in college football last year. He’s equally strong in pass protection and opening holes in the running game, but how he’ll stack up to professional speed rushers off the edge remains to be seen.

Playing in the Big 10 conference, he had plenty of tough matchups. He’s got quick feet for a player his size (6-6, 297 pounds) and he is a monster once he gets to the second level, picking up blocks with ease.

He would be a first-year starter in Denver, regardless of what the team chooses to do with Russell Okung, but will he still be there at No. 20?

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2nd Round: Jaleel Johnson, DT, Iowa

I don’t see the Broncos re-signing Sylvester Williams this offseason, so the team will start to look for his replacement. Even if the team signs a player in free agency, I expect them to add another in the draft.

Jaleel Johnson is quick off the snap and as a defensive tackle, has some good pass-rushing ability. He had a huge senior season in 2016 that included 7.5 sacks and 10 tackles for a loss.

Jaleel Johnson, 6'4", 310 lb DE/DT brought in 7.5 sacks last season to go with 55 tackles and 10 TFL. He's very much what the Broncos need.

It’s hard to say if the Broncos found a defensive tackle for the foreseeable future in last year’s second-round pick, Adam Gotsis, so they’ll try again here, in the same round.

3rd Round: Jake Butt, TE, Michigan

Three rounds, three players from the Big 10 conference.

The Broncos need a good, young receiving tight end, and former Michigan tight end Jake Butt could be a steal in this draft.

Butt appeared in 43 games at Michigan and caught 138 passes for 1,646 yards in that time. He isn’t a great blocker, so he may be a guy who is used as a situational receiver until he shores that up, but the Broncos need a guy who can stretch the field at that position.

With Virgil Green already on the roster, the Broncos don’t necessarily need a do-it-all tight end, just one with good hands that can create mismatches in the passing game.

4th Round: Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado

In the fourth round, the Broncos bring in a defensive back from the area in Colorado’s Ahkello Witherspoon.

Witherspoon may be overlooked for the fact that the Buffaloes haven’t churned out a slew of pros in recent years, but this kid can play. He has great size for the position (6-3, 195 pounds) and he can make plays on the ball, evidenced by the 22 passes defensed that he had last year. Yes, 22 of them.

Denver has Aqib Talib, Chris Harris and Bradley Roby, but Kayvon Webster is an unrestricted free agent and the jury is still out on Lorenzo Doss, a player that the Broncos frequently choose to inactivate on game days.

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6th Round: Matt Dayes, RB, North Carolina State

The Broncos traded their fifth-round pick to the New England Patriots as part of the deal to acquire A.J. Derby last year, so they’ll have to wait until the sixth to make a selection.

I’d like to see the team add an inside linebacker in this draft but at this stage, there isn’t great value. Instead, the Broncos look to add depth to the running back corps by selecting Matt Dayes out of North Carolina State.

At only 5-8, Dayes isn’t an every-down runner, but he is still quite physical for his size. He ran for 1,166 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield, making him a player who could come in and be a third-down back on passing downs.

7th Round: Gabe Marks, WR, Washington State

I feel like the Broncos will make a play for a wide receiver through free agency, but in the seventh round, they’ll throw a dart at Gabe Marks from Washington State.

Other teams may write him off for playing in the pass-happy spread offense ran by Mike Leach at Washington State, but Marks is a great route runner with good hands. He uses his athletic ability to make plays you wouldn’t expect a guy at six feet tall to make.

I feel like Marks is better than a seventh-round talent, but if he slides to this spot on day three, he’d be worth a pick.